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Ned O'Sullivan in the Seanad this morning Oireachtas TV

Taoiseach compared to Hitler as government regains majority on banking inquiry

The coalition has restored its majority on the inquiry by adding two more senators – causing uproar in Leinster House.

Updated 12.30pm 

THERE WERE ANGRY scenes in the Seanad this morning as the Government was accused of trying to rig the banking inquiry in its favour.

The row centred over coalition plans to add two more senators to the panel – Fine Gael’s Michael D’Arcy and Labour’s Susan O’Keeffe – giving it a majority.

Sinn Féin senator David Cullinane called the motion being put to the house an “absolute disgrace” and said the Taoiseach should come in and address the chamber.

“Government senators should be ashamed of themselves,” Cullinane said.

He was heckled by Government members as he accused them of “not wanting” to get to the truth, and of being more interested “in scoring points off Fianna Fáil”.

The inquiry

The banking inquiry had been made up of nine members – five opposition and four government – but in seeking to regain a majority the coalition has added two more members this morning.

Opposition senators succeeded in adding Fianna Fáil’s MacSharry to the inquiry team last week, after a number of government senators missed a crucial vote of the Seanad selection committee.

There have been several rows in the Dáil and Seanad over the issue in recent days culminating in this morning’s vote during the Seanad Order of Business.

The motion to add to the committee was passed by six votes and increases the membership of the inquiry team to 11 – six government and five opposition members.

Skulduggery

Responding for the government in the upper house this morning, Labour Senator Aideen Hayden said it was “the ultimate in irony” to hear “Fianna Fáil talking about skulduggery and Sinn Féin talking about democracy”.

“The other thing I would say is never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.

“Let me be absolutely clear about what we’re appointing people to here. We’re not actually appointing people to a banking inquiry. We’re appointing them to a committee to set terms of reference for a banking inquiry.

“This may be too legally complex for some of the eminent minds at the other side of the house, but that is the fact of the matter.”

 ’This may be too legally complex’… [Oireachtas.ie] 

‘Total disrepute’

Independent (and former Fine Gael) senator Paul Bradford, a member of the selection committee, said the Government was trying to re-write the result of last week’s meeting at which the inquiry membership was agreed.

“It will be written that on Thursday June 12th the moral authority of the current Government completely disappeared and Seanad Éireann entered into a place of total disrepute,” Bradford said.

What is happening this morning is deeply disturbing.

Senator Ned O’Sullivan of Fianna Fáil said it was “a very dangerous day” for democracy and that the Taoiseach had “dumped down on the house again”.

He said Enda Kenny was asking them to approve something “that Hitler himself, with the Enabling Act would have been ashamed of”

Quite clearly the Government have no interest in a real, productive banking inquiry at all.

Ned O’Sullivan [Oireachtas.ie]

‘Utter balls of it’

O’Sullivan appealed for independent senators not to back the motion, saying that if it went through “it would be the worst day since the Blueshirts”.

There were also angry words from Senator James Heffernan, who resigned the party whip in 2012.

He said the Government motion was “absolutely reprehensible” and claimed the coalition had been seeking an inquiry akin to a “Nuremburg-style trial”.

“What’s the point in having any democratic institution if you’re going to be treated in this fashion,” Heffernan said.

“What you’re going to have is a show-trial that no-one, no-one, is going to abide by or uphold anything out of.

You’ve made a complete and utter balls of it.

Reaction

https://vine.co/v/Mjji6t0WFvm

Outside Leinster House, Fianna Fáil’s finance spokesperson and banking inquiry member Michael McGrath said the committee is now controlled “in a very political way”.

“I think ultimately the outcome of this is that the inquiry itself is damaged with its credibility severely undermined,” he said.

In the Dáil, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore hit out at the opposition, accusing them of a “parliamentary stroke” by adding two opposition senators to inquiry when there was “an understanding” that it would be one government and one opposition.

“A bit of slick parliamentary footwork was performed and we ended up with two opposition members proposed to be nominated,” he said.

He said that Seanad membership of the inquiry should be made up of both government and opposition, adding: “That’s what balance is about”.

- additional reporting from Hugh O’Connell 

Read: Attempts to kick Fianna Fáil senator off banking inquiry fall flat

Video: Angry scenes as Micheál Martin repeatedly told to sit down before Dáil suspended

Read: With all this politics what hope does the banking inquiry have of finding out anything?

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93 Comments
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    Mute samstheman
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    May 20th 2019, 8:08 AM

    Absolutely no place for this at any sports ground. They’re a disgrace to their county & should be barred from venues for life

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    Mute páraicS
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    May 20th 2019, 8:41 AM

    @samstheman: They were kids, give them a break.

    54
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    Mute reg gordon
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    May 20th 2019, 8:49 AM

    @páraicS: To be fair in any other sport they would see some sort of ban. By not doing so the gaa are in some way allowing this behavior to spread.
    I’m a similar note I saw an underage hurling game on my local park whilst walking my dog where there was a proper fight on the pitch between 2 players where they had to be separated. Neither was sanctioned( or even told to shake hands afterwards) that’s really poor behavior from the coaches

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    Mute Anthony
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    May 20th 2019, 8:49 AM

    @páraicS: they weren’t ‘kids’ . Look at the footage. They were youths. And they were a disgrace. Pure thugs

    148
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    Mute samstheman
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    May 20th 2019, 9:03 AM

    @páraicS: big enough for kids. I stand by my comment. Then they got off with a caution. Joke, interestingly if they were Dubs what would you have to say?

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    Mute thephantomshit
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    May 20th 2019, 9:15 AM

    @Anthony: what’s a youth? If I host an under 15s soccer match is it a game between a gang of youths?

    8
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    Mute Paul Holland
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    May 20th 2019, 9:35 AM

    @páraicS: I would say the people harassed or intimidated because of their carry on also deserve a break

    39
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    Mute Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh
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    May 20th 2019, 10:12 AM

    @páraicS: Kids ? They were given Adult cautions, Kids my ass!
    Imagine the damage there could have been done by their behaviour and come back and tell us to give them a break.

    37
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    Mute Anthony
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    May 20th 2019, 10:30 AM

    @thephantomshit: they were older than 15. Look at the footage.

    19
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    Mute Ronan Sexton
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    May 20th 2019, 10:39 AM

    @páraicS: Nope.

    4
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    Mute Tim Oleary
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    May 20th 2019, 11:01 AM

    @páraicS: noisy disruptive teenagers can be a nuisance at games to spectators near them needing the Guards to be called. Responsibility called for.

    15
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    Mute John Kelly
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    May 20th 2019, 12:19 PM

    @páraicS: cops should have given both of them a good clipping. Teach them some manners.

    16
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    Mute Richard James
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    May 20th 2019, 12:22 PM

    @páraicS: They got their break by not being charged, but why should paying spectators have to endure gobshyte behaviour from people at a match, regardless of age?

    24
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    Mute Danny McCarthy
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    May 20th 2019, 4:12 PM

    @John Kelly: bring back nidge, they need to be clipped.
    Everyone is responsible for their own actions, I’d say their families are proud of them today. If u keep messing with fire u get burnt & these guys have a long way to go if they keep lighting fires.

    3
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    Mute Don Dealgan
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    May 20th 2019, 8:46 PM

    @reg gordon: gaa use kid gloves wth onfield violence likewise wth thuggery on terraces

    1
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    Mute samstheman
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    May 20th 2019, 11:17 PM

    @Don Dealgan: the GAA didn’t let them go with an “adult caution” the Gardai did

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    Mute Tim Oleary
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    May 21st 2019, 10:55 AM

    @samstheman: talk a bit of sense. Don’t be trying to excuse this rowdyism. People like you add to the problem.

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    Mute John Smith
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    May 20th 2019, 8:31 AM

    Too much Clonmel apple juice….

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    Mute Ronan Sexton
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    May 20th 2019, 10:42 AM

    There seems to be a developing culture of phuckwits in the last year at hurling matches. I was at the Limerick match yesterday and there was a gang of aroud 40 neanderthals roaring out soccer chants for the whole match. These vermin have no place at hurling games and this must be nipped in the bud now.

    121
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    Mute Seán Ó Murchú
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    May 20th 2019, 10:56 AM

    @Ronan Sexton: People were singing songs at a match and you got upset? Think you need a new hobby.

    120
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    Mute Ronan Sexton
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    May 20th 2019, 4:46 PM

    @Seán Ó Murchú: No Sean, are yout comprehension skills that bad? There are night classes for that.

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    Mute Adolf Galland
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    May 20th 2019, 8:29 AM

    Why were Tipp fans beating up Tipp fans????

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    Mute shellakybooky
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    May 20th 2019, 9:54 AM

    @Adolf Galland: drink

    61
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    Mute Ed
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    May 20th 2019, 10:33 AM

    This isn’t the first time Tipperary supporters have been fighting each other at matches. There should be a ban on intoxicated people going into matches.

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    Mute Seanie Bourke
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    May 20th 2019, 2:09 PM

    @Ed: when was d other time

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    Mute Colm O'Sullivan
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    May 20th 2019, 10:34 AM

    Unbelievable they were let go.

    Their actions both warranted being charged with public order offences, the little thug on the left in the video being the chief culprit, its an assault in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses for christ’s sake.

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    Mute tubbsyf
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    May 20th 2019, 1:57 PM

    points deduction for Tipp

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    Mute Tom49
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    May 20th 2019, 9:55 PM

    @tubbsyf: you can have 17 points of you’re from Waterford

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    Mute Liam Mc Meel
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    May 20th 2019, 10:30 AM

    Ah sure it only a bit of banter

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    Mute Ollie Watson
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    May 20th 2019, 8:11 AM

    Yup 50 year old Saracens fans Nayo

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    Mute matthew o reilly
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    May 20th 2019, 11:09 PM

    If that was the Dubs.liveline would get 2 weeks out of it

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    Mute Michael O'Driscoll
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    May 20th 2019, 6:51 PM

    Wildlings.

    2
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